Teddy Sagi
Teddy Sagi | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 14, 1971 Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | Founder of Playtech, owner of Camden Market |
Teddy Sagi (; born November 14, 1971) is an Israeli billionaire entrepreneur with residences in London and Dubai. He is the founder of gambling software firm Playtech, a cybersecurity company, and holds ownership of London's Camden Market. His net worth is estimated at US$6.4 billion, with diverse investments across real estate, gambling technology, payment processing, and digital marketing sectors.
Personal life
Sagi was born in 1971 in Tel Aviv as the sole child of Ami Sagi, who owned a travel agency, and Lizi, a cosmetician. His upbringing took place in Tel Aviv's Shikun Lamed area.
In 1996, he was convicted in Israel on charges of fraud and bribery, serving five months out of a nine-month sentence. By 2009, he had acquired Cypriot citizenship through a government 'golden visa' initiative, securing an EU passport. He had been residing in Cyprus for several years by 2013.
He has one daughter with his former partner Limor Bahat-Simanovich. Since 2010, he has been living with Yael Nizri, who was crowned 2006 Miss Israel, and together they have six children.
Among his properties is Israel’s most expensive residence located in Herzliya Pituah—a 2,000 square meter waterfront estate featuring luxury amenities. He also owns two penthouses in Herzliya, multiple apartments within Tel Aviv's Tzameret Towers (acquired from ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak), as well as homes in London's Knightsbridge district, Cyprus, and Dubai.
Career
As of September 14, 2024, Forbes reported his net worth at US$6.4 billion.
Playtech
Sagi established Playtech in 1999 and took the company public on the London Stock Exchange in 2006 with an initial valuation near £550 million. Since the IPO, he has reduced his ownership from 81% to 4.6%, redirecting his attention toward investments in technology and property sectors.
SafeCharge
He controlled a 68% majority stake in SafeCharge, a credit card processing firm specializing in online gambling transactions. The company operated mainly out of Bulgaria and was listed on London’s AIM market with a market capitalization of £385 million. In 2019, SafeCharge was acquired by Nuvei Corporation for $889 million in cash.
Kape Technologies
Kape Technologies is a cybersecurity enterprise based in the UK that owns several VPN brands and security tools such as CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, ExpressVPN, and Intego. Sagi purchased the startup Crossrider at the end of 2012 for $37 million; it later went public on AIM with a valuation around $250 million. Crossrider initially developed browser extension SDKs that included monetization capabilities but faced issues as its technology was increasingly misused by malware creators.
In June 2016, after leadership changes, the company shifted its focus entirely to cybersecurity and online privacy services by discontinuing its SDK operations and acquiring CyberGhost VPN in 2017. It rebranded as Kape Technologies plc in March 2018 and expanded further by buying ZenMate in 2018 and Private Internet Access in 2019.
On September 13, 2021, Kape completed the acquisition of ExpressVPN for $936 million amid concerns linked to Crossrider’s previous association with adware software. That same year, Kape also purchased Webselenese, a publisher specializing in VPN reviews.
Stucco Media
In 2015, through Market Tech, Sagi acquired Stucco Media—a startup focused on eCommerce website technology—for $43 million. The company remains under his ownership.
Glispa
In 2015, Sagi expanded his presence in the mobile advertising sector by acquiring the German startup Glispa for €32 million.
Mobfox
Sagi further strengthened his mobile advertising portfolio in November 2018 by purchasing Mobfox, a mobile ad platform, from Matomy Media for $7.5 million.
Camden Market
In March 2014, Sagi acquired Camden Market Holdings, the owner of Camden Market, Stables Market, and Camden Lock Developments, for £490 million. The previous owners included Bebo Kobo (50%), Richard Caring (20.6%), Elliott Bernerd through Chelsfield (20.6%), and O.D. Kobo via PIR Equities (8.8%). This deal contributed to the largest initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in 2015. By March 2015, Sagi controlled four out of the six main sections of Camden Market, which ranks as London’s second most visited tourist attraction after Buckingham Palace.
In July 2017, Sagi finalized the process of taking Market Tech private by delisting it from the London Stock Exchange at a valuation of 1.1 billion ILS. He committed to investing £300 million by 2018 to enhance the Camden Market area further.
Other real estate ventures
In June 2017, Sagi acquired a 44% ownership stake in Brack Capital Properties N.V., a publicly traded real estate company specializing in residential and commercial assets across Germany.
He also expanded into the co-working industry with the global brand LABS, launching its first site in London.
In August 2015, The GoodVision Trust—beneficiary Teddy Sagi—divested a 24.79% share in Austrian property firm conwert Immobilien Invest SE to German company Adler Real Estate AG for €250 million.
In March 2020, Labtech, Sagi’s real estate investment firm, sold the Holborn Links Estate for €245 million to Tristan Capital Partners and Cording Real Estate Group.
Wealth
Forbes estimates Sagi’s net worth at $5.6 billion, positioning him as Israel’s fourth wealthiest individual. He also appeared among 565 Israelis named in the Pandora Papers investigation.
Sagi’s family office, Globe Invest, manages and oversees his investment portfolio.
The Sunday Times Rich List valued his fortune at £5 billion as of May 2025.